The Surprising Truth About Where You Should Live In Order To Live Longer

A group of researchers at The Ohio State University recently undertook a rather large and admirable exercise: they combed through health and life expectancy data from more than 66,000 U.S. census tracts. That is a lot of maps and a lot of numbers. Their goal was to see if proximity to water (what the experts like to call “blue space”) could influence how long we live.

The findings, published in the journal Environmental Research, were somewhat unexpected and unfair. Living near the ocean or a gulf appears to come with a bonus gift: an extra year or more of life. It’s as if the ocean says, “Don’t worry, I’ve got you—here’s 365 extra days to finish that novel or finally deep clean the house.” But before you pack your swimsuit and head for the nearest lake or river, here’s the twist: people living in cities near inland water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, mighty rivers like the Mississippi) actually seem to die sooner than the national average. You could be sipping iced tea on your balcony overlooking the lake in Hyderabad or Bangalore and statistically be shaving a few months off your lifespan.

“Overall, the coastal residents were expected to live a year or more longer than the 79-year average, and those who lived in more urban areas near inland rivers and lakes were likely to die by about 78 or so. The coastal residents probably live longer due to a variety of intertwined factors,” said lead researcher Jianyong “Jamie” Wu.

Why Do Coastal Residents Live Longer?

The study doesn’t suggest you’ll immediately start ageing in reverse if you relocate to Goa or Gokarna, but it does hint at some intriguing: environmental advantages. The researchers suggest a cocktail of reasons: coastal areas tend to enjoy milder temperatures, fewer scorching days, better air quality, and more recreational opportunities (translation: people move their bodies outdoors more often). Add to this higher average incomes, less reliance on drought-prone agriculture, and even easier transportation, and you have the makings of what sounds like a Mediterranean lifestyle, minus the olives.

Families living by the sea tend to be more active and eat healthier (Getty Images)

Meanwhile, inland urban areas near lakes and rivers, especially those larger than four square miles, appear to be grappling with quite the opposite. Pollution, poverty, lack of safe spaces to exercise, and higher risks of flooding all contribute to what is, in many cases, a significantly less cheery outlook. Or, as postdoctoral researcher Yanni Cao rather academically put it, these are “drivers of the differences.”

This isn’t the first time science has flirted with the idea that living near water might be good for us. Previous studies have found that proximity to water is associated with lower obesity rates, better heart health, and the slightly intangible but deeply persuasive “higher physical activity levels”.

Inspired by this body of research, Wu and his team began wondering whether this watery good fortune extended to actual years tacked onto the human lifespan.

“We thought it was possible that any type of ‘blue space’ would offer some beneficial effects, and we were surprised to find such a significant and clear difference between those who live near coastal waters and those who live near inland waters,” said Wu, an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at The Ohio State University College of Public Health.

If you live by the sea, congratulations! You’ve basically won a small, passive lottery of existence. No action required. Just keep breathing in that salty air and trying not to get pinched by crabs. If you’re inland and considering moving to a trendy riverside loft, maybe check the floodplain maps first.

For everyone else, the good news is that a longer life isn’t only about where you live. It’s also about how you live. But it wouldn’t hurt to add a trip to the ocean once in a while.

Source:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935125012320

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